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test pattern

American

noun

Television.

a geometric design broadcast to receivers for testing the quality of transmission, often identifying the transmitting station and channel.

Etymology

Origin of test pattern

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Jackson’s image glows blood-red, then flips to a television test pattern as the kids file out into the world.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2023

The legacy versions of emergency alerts broadcast on over-the-air television with a test pattern screen and a loud alert noise followed by spoken instructions.

From The Verge • Dec. 15, 2021

He is so innocent he even, upon experiencing the wonders of a new television, mistakes a test pattern for a broadcast.

From New York Times • Nov. 5, 2020

If you want to do better than that, you’ll need to use a test pattern.

From Slate • Sep. 1, 2018

I stared through the windshield as if I was watching the test pattern that came on television at midnight.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023